While we ponder the national poll from over the weekend showing Donald Trump still eating the rest of the GOP field’s lunch — and Ben Carson beginning to rise — what’s happening on the Democratic side deserves to get a little more attention.
On the Democratic side, Clinton drops below 50 percent for the first time, while Sanders keeps climbing. She leads among Democratic primary voters by 19 points (49-30 percent). Two weeks ago Clinton was up by 29 points (51-22 percent). A month ago she had a 40-point advantage (59-19 percent).
Vice President Joe Biden, who is undeclared, receives the backing of 10 percent.
The remaining Democratic candidates are at one percent or less.
Not good news for Mrs. Clinton, and for candidates not named Bernie Sanders…perhaps you need to find something else to do with your time.
But national polls don’t mean much at this stage of the race. State polls are somewhat more useful. We’ve seen Sanders take a lead over Clinton in New Hampshire , which has generated more chatter for Joe Biden and even a trial balloon for Al Gore.
But consider this poll out of Alabama:
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is thrashing Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 78 percent to 10 percent in Alabama.
The South — unfriendly territory for a Democrat of Sanders’ stripe and message. At least so far. And his campaign is aware of this glaring weakness:
[Sanders’ strategist Tad] Devine maintains that he’s not yet worried about the shape of the Sanders coaltion. “It’s not going to be like ‘rallies are for white people and the meetings are for black people.’ That’s not the way we see it,” Devine said. “As his appeal grows, and as he becomes better known in different areas of the country, I would expect that we’re gonna be able attract large crowds and very diverse crowds. Crowds that will look more like the floor of the Democratic convention, than the floor of the Republican convention.”
All of which gives extra meaning to Doug Wilder’s recent swipe at Terry McAuliffe in the Supreme Court nomination mess.
